ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS
Sister Ships: Voyageur of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas
Dining:
I was a bit disappointed with the variety of dining options onboard the Adventure of the Seas, when compared to the other cruises I’ve been on. I felt there should be a second specialty restaurant. This could be because the Maitre D’ could not accommodate our table for two request and so we did not dine there….its our honeymoon so we wanted it to be romantic and just the two of us.
Room Service is 24 hours. Continental Breakfast is available 5:30am to 11:00am and Full Breakfast is available 7:00am to 10:00am. The full Dining Room Menu can be ordered from room service only while the Dining Room is open. Having ordered room service numerous times on this cruise I found it took approximately 30 to 40 minutes to receive the food ordered and it wasn’t always hot.
The Windjammer Café is the buffet on Deck 11, where the pool is located. It serves an Early Bird Breakfast from 6:00am to 7:00am and Lunch from 11:30am to 3:00pm, Afternoon Snack Service from 3:00pm to 5:30pm and Dinner is available in the Island Grill (this is the back half of the Windjammer Café) from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
The Main Dining Room is three floors. Vivaldi Dining Room is Deck 3, Strauss Dining Room on Deck 4, and Mozart Dining Room on Deck 5 overlook the Vivaldi Dining Room. Vivaldi Dining Room on Deck 3 is open for Breakfast from 7:30am to 9:30am and Lunch from Noon to 2:00pm. Dinner is served on all three Decks at 6:00pm for Main Seating and 8:30pm for Second Seating. Onboard this 7 night cruise 2 nights had formal attire, 2 nights had smart casual attire and the rest were casual (no shorts, tank tops or bare feet permitted in the dining rooms).
Portofino is Fine Italian Dining on Deck 11. It is open for Dinner only from 6:00pm to 10:00pm nightly. Reservations are required and it is recommended that you book your reservations on the first day you board as space is limited and books quickly. There is a $20 US per person charge for booking a reservation and cancellation is required 24 hours prior. On select evenings live music is played between 7:30pm and 9:30pm. The attire each evening is the same as the dining room.
Café Promenade is located on Deck 5. It is like a café where you can have regular coffee and tea with pastries complimentary or there is the option to purchase special coffees. This is open 24 hours, but has a limited menu of snacks between 3:30am and 6:00am.
Johnny Rockets is a casual dining area where you’ll find hot dogs, hamburgers and other fast food type items. It is open from 11:30am to 1:00am each day, but reserved only for Adventure Ocean from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Bottles of wine or champagne brought into dining areas to be consumed at meal times are charged a corkage fee of $12 US per bottle. No open liquor bottles are permitted to be brought into the dining areas or public spaces, however I did notice passengers taking a drink from one lounge to another.
Bars & Entertainment:
There are a variety of entertainment venues onboard this ship and it’s needed with as many as 3,600 passengers. Nightly entertainment throughout the week includes “Cool Art, Hot Ice” at the Studio B Ice Skating Rink (offered two evening’s), comedians, Las Vegas style shows by The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers, as well as live entertainment at the following venues:
The Lobby Bar on Deck 4 is open from 3:00pm to 2:00am daily. Here you’ll find Guitar Melodies, Latin Music, Piano Melodies, and Live Latin Music.
Blue Moon on Deck 14 is open from 3:00pm to 2:00am daily. Here you’ll find Ballroom Dance Music.
The Casino Bar on Deck 4 is open from 6:15pm to late.
The Champagne Bar on Deck 5 is open from 4:30pm to 1:00am. Here you’ll find Guitar Melodies.
Connoisseur Club Cigar Lounge on Deck 5 is open from 8:00pm to 1:00am daily.
Duck & Dog English Pub on Deck 5 is open from 3:00pm to 1:30am. Here you’ll find Pub Entertainer.
Jester’s Nightclub on Deck 3 and 4 is open from 10:00pm to late. This is for adults only. Here you’ll find theme parties (like 70’s night) and nightclub dancing with a DJ.
Gravity Sports Bar on Deck 5 is open from 3:00pm to 1:30am.
Poolside on Deck 11 you’ll find Calypso Music. Hours vary.
Ben & Jerry’s Kiosk is open from 1:00pm to Midnight daily. Here you can purchase Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for a charge ($2.35 US for one scoop in a cup). Sugar cones and waffle cones are also available.
Sports & Fitness:
The ShipShape Fitness area onboard is located on Deck 11 forward. There is a large area with floor-to-ceiling windows for equipment for cardio and weights. Plus, an aerobics area with one wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors that offered the following classes: Wake Up Stretch, Wheels in Motion* (Spinning), Shape Up-Step Up, Circuit in Motion, Pathway to Yoga*, and Pilates in Motion*. ShipShape Dollars are given for any classes attended. These dollars can be used towards Royal Caribbean merchandise in the gift shop. *These classes have a fee.
The gym area is very large with many machines. I never saw a line-up for anything and it was nice to have the big windows facing forward so we could see outside. The only thing I didn’t like was in the aerobics area there were two or three columns in the middle of the floor. I’d recommend getting to the class a little early to make sure you get a position on the floor where you could see the instructor well.
There is a Basketball/Volleyball court (open 9:00am to 8:30pm), In-Line Skating (open 11:00am to 6:00pm), Adventure Dunes mini-golf course (open 24 hours), and Rock Climbing wall (9:00am to Noon and 1:00pm to 5:00pm) aft of the ship on Decks 11 and 12. (??) These areas are very busy on days at sea.
Adventure Day Spa and Salon on Deck 12 is open from 8:00am to 8:00pm daily. I recommend taking the spa tour the first afternoon of the cruise (embarkation day) because you are shown the entire spa area, shown many of the treatments and are offered special deals only available to guests that go on the tour. If you are looking for a really good deal at the spa I recommend waiting for the first port day. The ship offers a few packages for guests that book an appointment while the ship is in port. This may mean taking an hour away from shore, but it’s worth it!
Age Restrictions:
Guests 18 to 20 years of age are welcome to enjoy beer and wine if a parent or legal guardian has signed an authorization form. Guests 21 years of age and older are welcome to enjoy all alcoholic beverages while onboard. Picture Identification is required.
Adventure Ocean:
14 youth staff for all the kids onboard
3 to 5 Aquanauts, 9 to 11 Voyageurs
Rock wall
Basketball hoop
Ball pit
Computers
Play station video games
As many as 1000 kids per sailing
Pools & Hot Tubs:
I was very disappointed with the conditions of the deck chairs around the outdoor pools. They are obviously well used because where they are supposed to be blue (with white stripes) they are brown. I didn’t sit in any of them. In the Solarium the deck chairs are much nicer and look newer.
Outside on Deck 11 there are two large pools and many hot tubs. Here there is calypso music during the day and when the ship is departing a port of call. This area is always busy and filled with lots of kids.
Spa:
On the first day there are spa tours offered in the afternoon. I recommend taking one of these tours because they show you many of the treatments, answer any questions that you have and it allows you the opportunity to book a treatment for anytime during the week…plus they were giving discounts for booking treatments after the tour!
Portofino Restaurant:
Here you have an italtian four-course dinner. Many appetizers are offered such as Carpaccio, Wild Greens with pears and goat cheese, Caeser Salad made table-side and Goat Cheese Souffle. There are three pastas to choose from (as a second course or entrée size), many entrees such as Beef Tenderloin, Osso Bucco, Scampi and a nightly special of Surf & Turf (filet mignon and scampi with a lobster sauce). There are many delightful dessert such as Tiramisu, White Chocolate Mouse Cake, and Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Stateroom:
We were in Owners Suite #1308 on the port side of the ship. All Owners Suites have a mountain theme and are so named. Ours was the Alps Suite (other theme’s are listed below). When you walk into the Suite there is a large bar area with plenty of counter space and glass table with two comfortable armless chairs. To the right of the door was a large bathroom with beautiful burgundy marble, a good size jacuzzi tub, separate shower, bidet, toilet and double sinks with vanity. The living room area has a sofa that fits three comfortably and at one end of the sofa is a chaise lounge. There is a glass coffee table and two armchairs. The armchairs are well worn and look like that need to be redone or replaced. In between the living room area and the bedroom area is a 48” Plasma Screen TV that swivels between the two rooms….so you can watch TV in bed or from the sofa or while dining at the table near the bar! The bedroom has a king-size bed, two closets with full-length mirrors on the front, a vanity/dressing table with chair and good lighting for getting dressed and putting on make-up. Plus, there is another chaise lounge next to floor-to-ceiling glass window. The balcony area is surprisingly small. It is only off the living room area (so the bedroom is larger), has a good overhang overhead so not much sun comes on the balcony and there are two chairs and two small tables so you can easily have breakfast or lunch there.
Our stateroom attendant was excellent. From the very beginning he introduced himself and tried to answer all our questions. He made up the Suite twice per day, usually when we went for breakfast and again when we went for dinner. Each evening when we came back to the room there was an animal of some kind on our bed made from a towel….it was a nice touch!
Owner Suite theme list:
1308 Alps Suite
1300 Mt. McKinley Suite
1298 Tetons Suite
1292 Himalayan Suite
1314 Kilimanjaro Suite
1320 Everest Suite
1608 Poconos Suite
1600 Andes Suite
1598 Fuji Suite
1592 Appalachian Suite
Boarding Tip:
Embarkation began at approximately at 1:15pm. There was a very long line when we arrived 30 minutes prior to the beginning of boarding. On the cruise ticket it stated embarkation began at 4pm. Passengers must board by 8pm because there was a lifeboat drill (mandatory for all guests) at 8:30pm. Diamond and Platinum Crown & Anchor Members, as well as Suite guests (Junior Suites and above) and those that needed wheelchair assistance had priority embarkation, which meant a separate line at check-in that went ahead of the very long line. This easily saved us an 1 hour or more at check-in.
Announcements where made on the first day in English, Spanish and German. For the rest of the cruise all announcements were in English, unless the Captain was speaking.
In room stateroom TV offers a menu (similar to hotels) where you can purchase movies (first run and adult) for $9.95 US, as well as book shore excursions or wine for dinner….the bottle will just appear at the table for when you arrive. This saves some time in the dining room as there are many passengers and only so many somlies.
Dining room menu for breakfast and lunch was limited.
If you have to depart any Caribbean cruise early, specifically in St. Thomas the cruise line requests that you depart at a specific time with an escort. They take you off the ship and through customs.
Written By Denise Blackmore, ACC
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